1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a record method and a record apparatus for recording an image onto the surface of a record medium supported as a plane by exposing to laser light for drawing in a main scanning direction and a sub scanning direction.
2. Description of the Related Art
An apparatus having the configuration shown in FIG. 10 is developed as a record apparatus for recording data of text, image, etc.
A record apparatus 21 shown in FIG. 10 records information, such as images, characters, patterns on the surface of a plate-like member to be recorded, such as a glass substrate, a slate, a metal plate and a ceramic plate, through a record medium such as a transfer sheet having a light-to-heat converting layer and an image forming layer.
The record apparatus 21 has, as the basic configuration, a record section 39 provided with a stage 27 that holds a plate-like member to be recorded 23 through suction and being movable along a parallel plane with a record face 25 of the member to be recorded 23 and a record head 29 from which laser light for drawing is emitted, a sheet-like record medium (an image reception sheet or a transfer sheet) on which an image or the like is recorded as being exposed through spot irradiation of laser light for drawing emitted from the record head 29, a record medium supply section 31 for supplying the record medium so as to be deposited on the record face 25 of the member to be recorded 23 held on the stage 27, a pressure roller for pressing and thereby bringing the record medium deposited on the record face 25 of the member to be recorded 23 in transferring a recorded image on the record medium onto the member to be recorded 23, and peel-off means (a peel-off roller, peel-off grooves, peel-off claws) for peeling off the record medium from which the recorded image has been transferred from the member to be recorded 23.
The stage 27 is supported by a move guide mechanism 11 shown in FIG. 11 movably in two orthogonal directions of X direction and Y direction along the surface (plane) of the record medium on the member to be recorded 23.
The move guide mechanism 11 specifically includes a first slide base 12 with a top face 12a on which the stage 27 is placed, first guide rails 13 for supporting the first slide base 12 so as to enable the first slide base 12 to move linearly along the top face 12a, a second slide base 14 with a top face to which the first guide rails 13 are fixed, and second guide rails 15 for supporting the second slide base 14 so as to enable the second slide base 14 to move linearly in the orthogonal direction to the move direction of the first slide base 12. The guide directions of the guide rails 13 and 15 are the move directions of the stage 27 shown in FIG. 10 (namely, X direction and Y direction).
A moving range of the stage 27 allowed by the moving guide mechanism includes a first quadrant S1, a second quadrant S2, a third quadrant S3, and a fourth quadrant S4 around a recording original point position 69, the area of each area being equal to the area of the stage 27. That is, the stage 27 is allowed to move by a distance twice the size length and width in the X direction and the Y direction. The X direction and the Y direction are respectively the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction of laser light for drawing, which allows the record head 29 positioned at the recording original point position 69 to scan relatively with respect to the stage 27 at all the positions.
The record head 29 is constituted movably either at a standby position 65 or the record original position 69, so that it is retracted to the standby position 65 when the member to be recorded 23 or the record medium is carried in or out from the stage 27, and returned to the recording original point position 69 when an image is recorded through irradiation of laser light for drawing to the record medium on the member to be recorded 23.
Further, in addition to the basic arrangement described above, the record apparatus 21 includes a member-to-be-recorded supply section 33 in which members to be recorded 23 are stored in piles, a carry-in mechanism 49 for transporting a member 23 to be recorded to the stage 27 from the member-to-be-recorded supply section 33, an discharge mechanism 51 for discharging the member to be recorded 23, on which the image has been transferred, from the stage 27, and a member-to-be-recorded reception portion 35 in which members to be recorded 23 discharged by the discharge mechanism 51 are placed and stored in piles. Numeral 37 in FIG. 10 denotes a trash box into which a used recording medium is discarded.
In addition, in terms of safety, such as prevention of leakage of laser light, the record apparatus 21 is arranged in such a manner that a shielding frame 41 covers the peripheries of the record section 39 and the recording medium supply section 31. The shielding frame 41 is provided with an openable and closable passing opening portion through which a member to be recorded 23 is carried in or discharged, and a passing opening portion through which a used recording medium is discharged.
The described record apparatus 21 records information such as images, characters, and patterns on the record face 25 of the member to be recorded 23 according to the following procedure.
The record head 29 is previously retreated to the standby position 65 and the member to be recorded 23 with the record face 25 up is at first held on the top of the stage 27 through suction. An image reception sheet as a record medium supplied from the record medium supply section 31 is intimately deposited on the record face 25 of the member to be recorded 23 held on the stage 27. After an image reception layer of the image reception sheet is transferred to the record face 25, an unnecessary portion (support layer) of the image reception sheet is peeled off and discarded. Next, a transfer sheet of a record medium supplied from the record medium supply section 31 is intimately deposited on the image reception layer on the record face 25. Then, the record head 29 is returned to the record original position 69.
Next, the laser light for drawing emitted from the record head 29 and move of the stage 27 in the X direction and the Y direction are controlled to expose the laser light for drawing on the surface of the record member (transfer sheet). Information such as images, characters, and patterns is recorded on the transfer sheet.
The information such as images, characters, patterns recorded on the transfer sheet is transferred onto the record face 25 as the transfer sheet is in intimate contact with the light reception layer on the record face 25 of the member to be recorded 23. If the transfer sheet from which the information was transferred is peeled off from the member to be recorded 23, the member to be recorded 23 with the information such images, characters, patterns recorded on the record face 25 is provided.
The member to be recorded 23 with the information recorded is ejected through the discharge mechanism 51 to the member-to-be-recorded reception portion 35.
The described record apparatus 21 can record a hyperfine images and so on by making the stage 27 move with high accuracy by the move guide mechanism 11. The recorded apparatus 21 is useful in a wide range of technical fields requiring micromachining such as formation of a black stripe filter of a display, formation of a circuit pattern in a printed circuit substrate, etc.
By the way, the improvement of the dimension accuracy and the attachment accuracy of the used parts is required for the move guide mechanism 11 to move with high accuracy, so that the focal distance in the optical axis direction of laser light for drawing emitted from the record head 29 becomes within the focal depth.
However, as the second guide rails 15, etc., of the move guide mechanism 11 are elongated, these easily become deformed because of screwing when they are fixed to a surface plate, etc., or thermal expansion or thermal shrinkage caused by change in ambient temperature.
The degree of deformation is proportional to the rigidity of the material used for the second guide rails 15, etc.
For example, when the second guide rails 15, etc., are formed from an aluminum alloy, etc., having good workability, the second guide rails 15, etc., become largely deformed because of screwing when they are attached or thermal expansion, thermal shrinkage, etc., as shown in FIGS. 12B to 12D. Therefore, even if the work accuracy of the parts is enhanced, it becomes difficult to maintain the focal distance in the optical axis direction of laser light for drawing within the focal depth.
As the focal depth changes with deformation of the second guide rails 15, etc., disadvantages such as degradation of the resolution of a record image, occurrence of unevenness of an image, etc., occur at the record operation.
Such deformation can be deceased by changing the material to stainless steel higher in rigidity than an aluminum alloy, etc., or a slate such as marble, etc., having higher rigidity than stainless steel. If a slate such as marble, etc., is used, it becomes comparatively easy to maintain the focal distance in the optical axis direction of laser light for drawing within the focal depth.
However, if a material having high rigidity is selected for the material, the manufacturing cost increases because workability degrades.
For example, assuming that the manufacturing cost per shaft of the slide mechanism is about 1,000,000 yen to form a guide rail of an aluminum alloy, the manufacturing cost per shaft is about 3,000,000 yen to form a guide rail of stainless steel or is about 10,000,000 yen to form a guide rail of a stone material of marble, etc. If the move operation of the move guide mechanism 11 is made highly accurate using a stone material, there is a problem of extremely increasing the manufacturing cost.